


A mother's story

by Katria_Faeyero



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms
Genre: Character Death, Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Christine chooses the Phantom, Depression, Drama, Erik's Parents - Freeform, Erik's and Christine's children, F/M, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of abuse, Regret, Romance, Suicide Attempt, Young Charles and Erik
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:01:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29857773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katria_Faeyero/pseuds/Katria_Faeyero
Summary: Life had spared no one.Once she had been a daughter, a cousin, a friend, a wife and a mother. But now she had no one to share either her happiness or her grief. If she died no one would care. Time had left her alone to count her losses and contemplate what she should have done differentlyNothing ever changed in her life nowadays.However, that day something different happened. A strange boy with a lyrical laugh and eyes the color of amber run up to her.
Relationships: Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This story was the result of my near obsession with the Phantom of the Opera. I was originally posting it on ff.net but decided to also have it moved here since I really like the way AO3 works.   
> The story focuses on Erik's (the phantom's) mother, from the moment she met her husband. I was always curious about Erik's mother and consequently Erik's childhood and I always wondered how I would describe her. Then this story popped in my mind one night and I just had to write.   
> The name Madeleine was inspired by the Kay novel but my approach is very different. I tried to make Madeleine human and as I was writing, I loved her more and more. I hope you like my different approach of Erik's childhood.   
> I don't want to reveal anything else, but this story will also include a lot of Erik and Christine domestic fluff.   
> I hope you come to enjoy the story and give it a chance !

_It was one of those days when she would take a walk outside and enjoy the sun upon her face. On sunny and warm days, she would always follow the same pattern. She would rise early and she would spend the entirety of her day in the park nearest to her humble home. She would find a bench as far away from anyone else as it was possible and she would sit there for hours, admiring the blue sky and the clouds, enjoying the summer breeze and counting the birds that flew over her head._

_Nothing worth mentioning ever happened to her nowadays. She was an old lady, having lost all the beauty of her youth, dressed in old and scratchy clothes in faded black and brown colors. Her once beautiful hair, were tied in a very strict bun on top of her head, graced with many grey and white hair. Her eyes held no happiness or any light at all. Their emerald green seemed faded with time and age_ _behind her round spectacles._

_If one looked upon her, they would see that she was a woman beaten with time. The years had not been kind nor merciful to her. If one was to look her in the eyes, they would also immediately realize that she was completely and utterly alone._

_Life had spared no one._

_Once she had been a daughter, a cousin, a friend, a wife and a mother. But now she had no one to share either her happiness or her grief. If she died no one would care. Time had left her alone to count her losses and contemplate what she should have done differently._

_That August morning, she followed the same routine as she had done during the whole summer. Her bench at the park was waiting for her dutifully like an old friend, though she knew that she had no friends or family._

_She sat down at the bench waiting for the hours to pass in sweet silence, with only the sound of the birds and the occasional laughter of the rest of the visitants of the park, to interrupt her calm. She looked with unfocused eyes at the world around her, as she did every single day. She muttered a silent prayer as the bells of the nearby church rang. Everything she did was calculated and the same as any other day. Nothing ever changed in her life nowadays._

_However, that day something different happened._

_She heard a child's laughter near her and at first, she paid him no mind. Children played in this park all the time. The child would go away to find his friends sooner or later. But she was mistaken... The child, a boy of barely four, was running towards the bench in which she was sitting. With his ever-ending energy he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him and soon, he climbed the small distance that the old bench had from the ground. To her surprise, and horror, she found the child tugging at her skirt and pinning himself to her side._

_She was shocked to say the least. She hadn't been so close to a child since... since..._

_"I'm pwaying hide n seek with Maman. Pwease don't tell I'm here." he pleaded and the old woman suppressed a smile, her first smile in years. She said nothing though._

_It was then that the child looked up at her expectantly. And she found herself transported back in time, many years ago... In a world that seemed a lifetime ago..._

_She hadn't seen eyes such as the boy's since... since..._

* * *

She had met her husband when she was barely a girl of eighteen. She would never forget the first time she laid eyes upon him. Her heart had stopped beating for several seconds and her mind had been spinning in endless thoughts. Her eyes had been fixed upon his and she had been almost undone. But almost...

She was very beautiful and she knew that, though she had no measure of beauty other than the other girls in the small town of Rouen. Though she knew not the measure of her beauty according to the Parisian standards, having never been to the metropolis of France, she had always thought herself to be beautiful amongst the other young ladies of her small provincial town. Her image consisted of shiny red hair falling in gentle ringlets and reaching her back, skin white as porcelain with barely visible light freckles on her nose and cheeks and eyes green as emeralds. All of this, completed with good manners, gentleness and shy modesty, made her a very good bride-to-be for any eligible young man who might have been interested in her.

Yet her parents found it difficult to be parted from her. Overprotective and old fashioned they were always by her side, guiding her through the crowds and never allowing lingering eyes of young suitors to meet hers. Her parents, though kind hearted and well respected, had conceived her at an old age. They had tried for a child for years yet after ten years of marriage God had not yet blessed them with the gift they so desired. When poor Anna had found out she was pregnant, she had not believed it at first. How could it be? They had given up hope long ago of ever becoming parents. Had God finally answered her prayers? Thus, their daughter was blessed and very precious to them.

They adored her. That was true. And she loved them in return with equal force, never questioning them and never going against their wishes. As much as she was suffocating during the years before she started reaching womanhood, she had remained the ever-obedient daughter of her dear parents. She would do as they said always and if that meant staying away from possible suitors- who according to her father only wanted to deflower her- and never attending the social events and banquets of Rouen then so be it. That didn't mean she didn't want to feel free and enjoy her youth like all the other young ladies of Rouen.

Everything was about to change that night. Marie, her only friend and dearest cousin, was turning eighteen that day and her parents were organizing a formal dinner of shorts in their mansion. Marie's mother, her own aunt, had persuaded her parents to allow her to attend the Banquet that would take place that night at their mansion. Marie's mother had been very persuasive, saying that she would be chaperoned at all times, that she wouldn't dance with anyone, that she would be with herself and Marie at all times and that she would then sleep at Marie's chambers and return the morning after. The young woman, who had been draining the blood from Marie's hand the whole time, had left out a gasp when her father had finally given his permission.

For the first time in her life, she would wear her prettiest dress for an occasion that wasn't going to the mass with her parents on Christmas day. And she couldn't be happier.

She had no idea how much her life was about to change that night. Even now, years later, and with all the sadness of the world on her shoulders she could barely comprehend the events of that night... the first night she had felt alive...

She arrived at the dinner with Marie, feeling almost plain in her green gown. Marie was extraordinarily beautiful in her newest dress, coming straight from Paris and tailored to fit her perfectly, and with her wild curls in an intricate updo. Her own dress though wasn't the most fashionable one or the most impressing. Her red hair was very smoothly tamed in a half up half down hairstyle she had never done before and she wore no makeup at all. She was so plain compared to not only Marie but to all the girls that were invited. Yet the looks everyone in the room threw at her made her very aware of the fact that she was nothing but plain. In all her simplicity, she was easily the most beautiful woman in the room.

Marie had made it her personal mission that night to introduce her to as many people as she could. It was the first time she was spending so much time with people her age, people who weren't just Marie and her occasional friend-companion and she found herself overwhelmed. She was so tired of introducing herself and she knew that she would never be able to remember most of those names. Yet she wouldn't change it for the world. That night was beautiful in all ways.

She was standing next to Marie and her friend Elise, discussing dresses and the latest news from Paris when her eyes locked with his. He was standing at the opposite side of the room, focused on a discussion between a young man she knew as Elise's older brother and an older gentleman. His attention seemed to be absorbed in the point of discussion yet his eyes, _ah those amber eyes_ , where lingering her way. They stopped their curious traveling up the length of her emerald gown and rested on her eyes of the same vivid color.

For a moment she forgot how to breath. Even the tiniest glimpse of his eyes as they rested on her had made her inexperienced heart thud loudly and clearly in her ears. He held her gaze for barely a breathless second before his lips, narrow and perfect, made the slightest lift upwards. She was absolutely certain at that moment that she was losing her mind. She had been painfully aware of the gazes the young men gave her all night long. She had been uncomfortable at first yet she had managed to ignore it for the majority of the evening. Yet this was different. This couldn't be ignored.

She averted her eyes from him only when she realized that Elise and Marie had been calling her name for several seconds. She looked at them puzzled then she remembered that she had probably spent several seconds, maybe even more than a minute, staring at a stranger instead of conversing with her companions. Suddenly she felt utterly humiliated the amusing smiles they gave her did nothing for her nerves. They knew, damn it all to her carelessness, they knew that she had shared a moment with a stranger at the other side of the ballroom and she found her cheeks burning with a deep crimson blush.

"Charles Valliere" she heard Elise saying and the confused look she sent the other girl was all it took to make Elise giggle in a very unladylike manner.

"W... what?" she managed to stutter.

"His name silly. He is Charles Valliere, architect and engineer and my brother's best friend."

"I... Okay." she managed breathlessly, lingering more than necessary at the musicality of his name in her mind.

"Oh, stop being so shy about it. We all know that these balls happen for the sole reason that we do not end up being spinsters. Let me introduce you to him." said Elise with a small smile tugging at the edges of her mouth.

"No!" she said a bit more harshly than what she had intended.

"Why not dear cousin? He is so handsome." Marie tried only to be hushed once more.

"I said no!" She chose to ignore the comment about his appearance. Her shyness, along with fear for her parent's wrath whether they were to learn that she had disrespected them in any way, had taken hold of her heart. Her mind, ever logical and pragmatic, complied easily. Only her eyes betrayed her for a moment as they hastily searched for his dark gaze once more. She found him deep in conversation, with his back to her this time around, and she thanked God for granting her this small mercy of not seeing his eyes again.

For at least half an hour she pretended that she had never seen his eyes. She tried to erase their burning amber from her mind and she was glad to realize that her breathing was normal once again. She found herself amongst Marie and Marie's friends once more discussing meaningless nothings when Elise's brother approached them, thankfully alone, and called them to follow into the foyer where a massive piano stood proudly. Only then did she realized that the musicians had stopped playing and a lone figure was sitting at the piano bench. He was most likely a patron of the wonderful ball and a pianist and someone had asked as a favor that he plays the instrument. It was a usual occurrence; Marie had explained as most of the guests gathered around the lone pianist.

He started playing and for the next couple of minutes the foyer and its inhabitants were under a trance. They were spellbound by the mesmerizing music, which had more to do with the mastery of the pianist than with the grandeur of the instrument. Having spent many years studying music, including the piano, she found herself magnetized by the wonderful sound. His hands, what little she could see from where she was standing, were moving over the black and ivory keys with such ease and gentleness. They were long fingered and strong hands and she was hypnotized by just seeing them move and create a music she had never heard before.

And then it was done... The music came to a stop and the drunk mirth left the eyes of the audience, who clapped loudly. The pianist stood proudly and looked up and behind him. His eyes caught hers and once again she was gazing at the inferno of identical ambers that were _his eyes._

"Brava mon ami! Brava!" exclaimed Elise's brother proudly. What had Elise said? Her brother and the pianist were best friends? She shook her head, breaking their eye contact at the exact same moment Michel approached his friend and clapped him in the back.

"If only we had a voice to accompany your music. Wouldn't it be lovely if there was a young soprano amongst the ladies tonight to give life to your music?" The audience erupted in applause once again and the voice of Marie barely reached her ears.

"Oh, there is a soprano. She has the most beautiful voice you've ever heard."

She felt lightheaded. Her walls broke down as she felt her cousin dragging her almost forcibly by the side of the piano. She couldn't struggle against Marie's iron grip and the moment they appeared in front of the pianist and his friend, she took hold of the wooden instrument to steady her legs. They felt like jelly under her dress.

"Marie no... I can't..." she found herself pleading but it was too late. Everybody knew her secret now and it was too late. If she ran away, she would humiliate herself in the eyes of Marie's friends as well as the eyes of the pianist.

_Oh, the pianist..._

"Don't be frightened Mademoiselle." he said and she could have sworn that she had never heard a voice more melodious or beautiful.

"I'm not frightened." she managed to say, careful to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Good." he was quick to reply. "What would you like to sing?" She told him one of her favorites, one she knew she could excel easily and she saw the approval in his eyes at her piece of choosing. He took his place in the piano bench and for a second he caressed the ivory keys with his long fingers. Her breath caught in her throat and he detected her small hesitation, acknowledging it with the tiniest of smiles.

"Sing for me!" he commanded softly and started playing.

For the duration of her song, his hands moved almost to their own accord. His eyes never left hers and she soared in a way she never had before.

They were the only ones existing.

Her... Madeleine and he... Charles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an old lady meets a young boy, Madeleine is falling in love and Elise De Chagny plays match maker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you and much love to those who gave my story a chance ! You are all wonderful. 
> 
> I just wanted to say that I'm not an English speaker and there is a chance that I make mistakes. I don't have a beta yet as I'm very new to this but I try to do my best and for the time being, I hope that's enough. 
> 
> I also decided to update once a week, every Friday. I'm 12 Chapters in and there are many things to be looking forward to with this story. Again, I'd like to say that even though I use some names from the Kay novel,it is my own intepretention of how Erik's parents met and fell in love. I hope you stick with me and love their characters as much as I do.

_The little boy, barely four years old, looked up at her with gleaming amber eyes. Eyes that burned her own gaze and gave life to the memories in her old mind._

_"Pwease hide me!" said the boy cheerfully and with his curious eyes he looked around them, in case his mother was near the bench, his hiding place. From the distance, the old woman could pick at a sound._

_"Trente, trente-et-un, trente-deux, trente-trois…"_ _The sweet voice of a woman counted in the distance and the old lady smiled at the boy._

_"This is not a good hiding place you know." she managed to say to the boy. He lifted his head of dark hair and looked at her in the eyes again. The way he looked at her was unsettling and so... so familiar. Then he gave her a smile that warmed her heart to her very core. Children were so beautiful but when they smiled, they were simply magical. And this child seemed to smile a lot. Such a happy child! Nothing like... like..._

_"Maman said to not hide well cause when I do, she can't find me." he exclaimed proudly, while keeping his voice quiet. He was in his hiding place after all and he couldn't risk his mama discovering him._

_"So, you are good at hide and seek?" the old lady found herself asking. She rarely had anyone else to talk too and it seemed that a toddler was her best option for the time being. How peculiar..._

_"I'm the best." He seemed perplexed for a moment then he continued. "Except papa of course. My papa is the best at hiding." The old lady couldn't help the small smile on her old lips. This was a normal boy, with a mama and a papa and he was so beautiful and happy. How could she have compared him to the ghosts of her past?_

_"What is your name dear?" she asked him, trying to make conversation with the four-year-old. She hoped she wasn't failing. She had spent many years in her quiet solitude and the only words she exchanged with other people were small talk in the market. It just so happened that her first foreign companion in years was a little boy. How ironic?_

_"My name is Charles!"_

* * *

_Charles_

_Charles_

_Oh Charles_

She spent the next days of her life lost in her thoughts. The aria she had sang with him- _with Charles-_ as an accompanist, was constantly in her mind. She would hum it as she occupied her hours with house chores. It was the first thing that came to her mind the moment she woke up and the last thing she thought before falling asleep.

_The aria_

_His pianist hands_

_Amber eyes_

_Charles_

_Oh Charles_

She was obsessed with thoughts of him and it was so unlike her. She was a good girl, an obedient daughter, raised to be a good Catholic woman by her strict yet loving mother. So, what was wrong with her? Why was he torturing her mind so?

For goodness's sake she hadn't even introduced herself to him, yet he had penetrated all her thoughts and concurred her mind with only a few minutes under his dark gaze. How had he done it? Why her?

_Oh Charles_

While being carefully discrete, she had found out many details about him. She had never paid much attention to Elise before, preferring her solitude over the pretty socialite that was Elise De Chagny yet now her help was of the utmost importance. She had asked Marie to invite Elise to their quiet scrolls in town or to their evening tea in Marie's garden and whenever she had the opportunity she would inquire about her brother's best friend. She was careful not to betray her true intentions of wanting to learn about him. But Elise wasn't stupid. She knew perfectly well that what had transpired between pianist and singer the night of Marie's birthday was something deep and very special. And she was willing to use that information to tease poor Madeleine until her face was as red as the roses she cultivated.

Elise would throw random information about him and Madeleine would grasp upon them with eagerness. Almost as if her life depended on it... Almost...

By now, she knew many of the essential details of his life. She knew not him as a person. Far from it actually. But she at least could create a clearer image of man of her dreams. He had grown up in Paris, going to the same boarding school as Michel, Elise's brother. Though they were very different, they had become best of friends immediately. After he finished school, he had gone to Rome to study architecture beside a great master. He had spent three years in Rome and then one year travelling and mastering the art. Elise said he was a genius, that his designs were so exquisite that even kings would want them one day. His greatest passion though was music. He could play with much ease the piano and he enjoyed a night at the opera more than endless nights of travelling the world.

To her dismay, she found out that he lived in Paris. He would spend several months in Rouen because he had taken over an important engineering project at the Chateaux of the De Chagnys, but his permanent work as well as his parents and sister lived in Paris. He wasn't very rich as he wasn't a noble like Michel and Elise, yet his work paid overly well and enough to make him more than an eligible candidate for any woman. Elise said that all of her friends were in love with him, but he seemed indifferent to any of the young ladies, including Elise, who tried to approach him.

Michel believed him to be shy and did everything in his power to get him around young ladies in case one caught his eye. Elise, ever the romantic, believed that he was one of those men who fall in love only once in their lifetime.

* * *

"I have never seen him smitten with a woman before." Elise blurred out one day as they had tea at Marie's house.

"Never seen who?" Madeleine asked innocently, indifferently.

"Charles silly Madeleine." she said with a sigh as she fixed the sugar and the milk on her tea.

"And why should we care if Monsieur Valliere is smitten by any woman?" Madeleine was playing with fire and she knew it.

"Because Michel told me that he was asking about you the other day." Marie choked on the piece of cake in her mouth while Madeleine barely managed to hold the cup and the saucer in her trembling hands.

"What pray tell is that supposed to mean?" She tried to sound composed and calm yet her heart was already bursting in her chest and her mind was reeling. And both Marie and Elise detected the tiniest of trembles in her ever-melodious voice.

"Red hair, green eyes, angelic voice, friend of Elise... That is a pretty accurate description of you. Do you agree dear Madeleine?" She didn't answer the question.

"Well, he was in our chateaux the other day. As you know the firm in which he is working is doing reparations in our old Chateaux. And he was discussing Marie's birthday dinnee with Michel and he asked about the red headed singer who stole his heart."

"Surely you jest Elise, non?" Marie managed to asked after a while.

"No! I am certainly stating the facts. Dear Monsieur Charles Valliere was asking my brother after our friend. Michel didn't tell him much because he never pays attention to me and my acquaintances. But he was excited enough to ask me about the only woman his friend has shown some interest."

"Oh, my dear cousin. Do you hear that? He was asking about you. That's wonderful." Marie exclaimed happily.

"Yes, I suppose it is." she answered, her trembling hands now playing with the fabric of her plain dress.

"It certainly is. Oh I knew it that there was something going on there. I have never seen a man looking at a woman the way he looked at you as you sang that night." The young woman took her tea cup and swallowed the bitter tea with much effort.

"Oui oui ma chérie ! Pure adoration, I tell You."

Madeleine tried in vain to hide her crimson cheeks with her tea cup. Her hands were shaking though and that didn't go unnoticed.

"I am confident to believe that your curiosity concerning Monsieur Valliere is highly reciprocated my dear Madeleine." Elise interrupted Marie's comments. "So now the question remains... How do we get the two of you to meet properly?"

The tea cup fell from her shaking hands and shattered in tiny porcelain pieces.

* * *

It didn't take long for Elise to form the perfect plan. The youngest daughter of the Count de Chagny was a cunning little thing and very clever. She had made Madeleine her personal project from that moment on and she was determined to get her to meet with Charles Valliere in person no matter what. A few brief conversations with the Vicomte, her dear brother, and she had a pretty clear view of what Charles Valliere was thinking about her shy redheaded friend.

Michel had described it as _"He has that goofy smile upon him all day and he is humming that stupid aria all the time."_

It was so easy to read them both. They were shy by nature and Madeleine was more stubborn than a mule. She had no intention of seeking Charles unless she was forced in his company. And Charles was too much of a gentleman to ask her attentions when they weren't even properly introduced.

Elise loved a good love story and deep in her heart she knew that those two shy people were destined to be together. She, and everyone else at Marie's birthday dinner, had seen it. The talented pianist, not even looking at the score as he played the aria with such ease, and the timid singer, who couldn't take her eyes off him as she poured her heart into her song...

A ball, Elise had decided would be the perfect opportunity for them to meet properly. She had no reason, except her amusement, to throw a ball at the Chateaux de Chagny. The Count had been difficult to persuade but he was currently in Paris and his opinion mattered little. Besides, she had her brother on her side, a brother who was in searching for a wife, and a ball was his perfect opportunity. It just so happened that the renovations at the Chateaux were just about finishing and her dear mother couldn't refuse the opportunity to show off her refreshed Mansion. And it wasn't like the Countess de Chagny and her daughter needed any specific reason to throw a ball.

The most difficult part would be to persuade Madeleine to attend. Or rather, to persuade her parents to allow her to come to the ball. Marie's birthday gathering had been more of an official and extravagant dinner with friends, a soiree of sorts. Besides, Marie had familial ties with Madeleine and it was much easier to persuade the catholic Madame Anna Laurent and the austere Monsieur Henrik Laurent to allow her to attend her cousin's birthday dinner.

This, in all its glory, was quite different. It would be a ball of much grandeur, held by one of the most prestigious - and richest - families of France.

No matter how many years passed, Madeleine would never forget the day the official invitation, written in expensive illustrated paper with calligraphic letters, arrived at her doorstep. She would never forget the look of shock and wonderment on her father's face. She would never forget the easy way in which they accepted the invitation, saying that it was an honor for a humble commoner to be invited to the Count's Chateaux. She would be chaperoned at all times of course, always by her cousin and aunt, but Madeleine didn't care at all. The only thought in her mind was _"I will see him again"_.

She arrived at the ball with Marie by her side, as always. This time she had allowed her cousin to take care of her appearance in some extent. Her hair had never looked shinier and more beautiful, her ringlets perfectly tamed under the pins. Marie had also given her one of her own dresses to wear. Madeleine's family wasn't poor but they weren't rich either. They held a respectable income yet buying beautiful and expensive ball gowns was out of their reach. One of Marie's dresses would have to do.

In all honesty, the forest green and blue ballgown suited the fair skinned Madeleine much more than it did her brunette cousin. Marie said she looked like a mermaid out of a fairytale and she had laughter her off. But oh how she wanted to be beautiful when she met _him_ again.

The Chateaux de Chagny was the most impressive and luxurious building she had ever seen much more entered. Her breath was taken away by the beauty of its halls and corridors, illuminated by golden candelabras. The paintings on the walls were impressive enough to make her forget the very reason she had come to the ball. Simple and common Madeleine, the daughter of an old mathematician and his poor wife, had never seen such beauty before.

Marie's father was a merchant, gaining much wealth in his travels and showering his daughter with expensive gifts, jewelry and fabrics. But even she was speechless at the beauty of Elise's Chateaux. It was a rare occasion that a merchant's daughter, no matter how rich the merchant was, would be invited to the ball of the aristocracy.

It didn't take long for the girls to get lost in the midst of colorful dresses and waltzing couples. Champaign was served everywhere around them and they were mesmerized and overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. Marie, always more confident and forthcoming, was very soon asked to dance by a young gentleman and that left Madeleine alone in a shadowy corner of the dance floor.

She looked at the numerous dancing couples on the floor and she easily spotted her cousin having a wonderful time in the arms of her partner. Soon after, her eyes found Elise dancing with an older yet strong build and rich looking man. She was smiling sweetly as the man swirled her around the dance floor with ease. He seemed very smitten with her and Madeleine made a mental note to ask her new friend about him. She would later find out that he was a Baron and that he was to become Elise's husband.

Absorbed as she was in her thoughts and mesmerized by the beauty of the ball, she never heard someone approaching her and standing only inches behind her. His voice, smooth as velvet and melodious reached her right ear and instead of shock, all she felt were shivers.

"Are you not dancing Mademoiselle?" Slowly, very slowly, she turned around. His eyes were the first thing she noticed. They were as amber, almost golden, as she remembered them. The tiniest smile of amusement on his beautiful lips, as he watched her curiously, was the second.

"No. No, I'm not!"

"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me Mademoiselle?"

"I would be delighted."

Her hand in his was small. For the first time she realized how tall he actually was and she felt the tiniest bit of intimidation. But his touch was so gentle as he led her to the dance floor that all her fears of him vanished.

They started dancing and for a while she had managed to avoid his burning gaze. His touch at the small of her back was enough to drive her mad. " _What is wrong with me?"_ she was thinking as he swirled her in a beautiful waltz. It took her a while to find the courage she needed to address him.

"May I know the name of my partner Monsieur?" She knew his name of course. And she knew that he knew hers. Yet they should start from somewhere and a direct exchange of names was a safe topic.

"Forgive me Mademoiselle for not introducing myself sooner. I am Charles Valliere." _Oh his voice was music in her ears..._ "And I, may I know the name of my beautiful dance partner?"

"Of course you may Monsieur. My name is Madeleine Laurent." She introduced herself with ease. Yet only one word had stuck in her mind.

_Beautiful_

He thought her beautiful.

For the entirety of the night they were barely seen apart. They danced very little again, both lost in the acquaintance of the other and eager to know each other as much as possible. Madeleine had read books about love. As a child she had never believed in stupid fairytales of love at first sight. But now, with Charles by her side, she realized what all those silly romantic books had described. It was so easy to get lost with him. So easy to allow his beautiful voice to capture her mind. So easy to let his pianist's long fingers be entwined with hers.

_It was so easy to fall in love with Charles_...

In the years that followed she wished that she had never met him...


End file.
